Take the Long Way Home

Take the Long Way Home Matthew 7:13, Proverbs 4:27 Psalm 37:23-24 I recall one beautiful spring Monday morning. I was home getting ready for work and found myself making every excuse not to go. Watching the bird feeder. Topping off my coffee. Watching a little extra television. I remember standing on the back deck trying to soak up a few more minutes of morning sunshine. A quick glance at my watch told me to get moving. I hopped in the car and took off in a flurry of hurry. Only 12 miles, I said to myself. I can make up the extra time lost. I wasn’t worried. Typically, I have a morning routine I follow on my work commute. From my house to Route 187 ( around three miles) is silence. No radio. No phone. Nothing. I listen. I settle myself and spirit for the day. I am mindful of God’s creation as I drive, regardless of the weather or season. Once I turn onto Route 87 toward Wysox, I talk to God. This is around six miles or so. Nothing scripted or rehearsed. Just talking/praying about whatever is on my heart and in my head. (Why, yes, I AM that lady talking to herself in her car!) Once I hit Wysox, I adjust the radio to my favorite morning show — Dr. David Jeremiah. I listen intently until I arrive at work. This routine brings me peace and calm in the morning. I laugh, I cry. It’s my time alone with my Creator. I envision Jesus in the car with me rolling His eyes as I ramble on. This day, however, was different. I seemed hurried and agitated as my speed approached 60 on the flats. I was not silent for sure; I found myself muttering under my breath all the way to work. I did not talk with my God; instead, I cranked up the radio. The adrenaline was kicking in. I was on a mission. I was late. I made a rolling stop at the stop sign in Wysox. I zipped through a yellow light at Sheetz. Once I came off the Towanda bridge, I realized I had a decision to make. I could follow my normal route to work and risk being late, or I could follow the cars in front of me looking to take a shortcut and possibly get ahead of the traffic in front of us. My mind wrestled with this. My eyes darted back and forth at the traffic up ahead and the cars with their blinker on to make a right turn. As I neared the connecting street, I panicked and hastily hit my blinker. Today, I would follow the crowd. The Merrill Parkway along the river has a lower speed limit. Usually I take in the sight of joggers and the flowing river as it is meant to be a scenic route. Myself and the cars ahead of me were doubling the speed limit in an effort to get ahead of the cars on Main Street. After all, what good would this be if we did this to only end up where we were OR farther behind than we were? I pondered this as I glanced up a side street to assess how I was doing. I noticed the garbage truck that was only a few cars ahead of me on Main Street was now neck and neck with me. How could this be, I thought. Surely I felt that I should be way ahead of him. As my stretch of road was ending, I made my left to get back to Main Street. I had four blocks to go and four stop signs. More rolling stops. More speed. When I got to Main Street, not only did I watch the truck I was racing go by, but I had to wait for five to six more cars to go by before I could get out. I had gotten nowhere fast. I was stressed and saddened. I had not only missed out on my solid morning routine — I missed my reservation with God. Time we carved out every morning just for each other. The rest of my day did not go well. Some shortcut this turned out to be. Ahhhhh. Shortcuts. We love them, don’t we? We can wash and condition our hair at once. Peanut butter and jelly share the same jar. Pre-made pie crusts and cookie dough. Instant pots have replaced slow cookers. GPS systems on our phones and watches. We could go on and on!! So many things to ensure we are working “smarter and not harder.” The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word “shortcut” as “a method or means of doing something more directly and quickly and often not so thoroughly as by ordinary procedure.” Additionally, it lists the following synonyms (similar): “bypass, dodge, get around, sidestep and skirt.” It lists the following antonyms (opposite) as “comply, follow, keep and obey.” By no means am I “anti-shortcut” after all. We recognize time is important, and we never seem to have enough. When is a shortcut a bad idea? My best friend’s “marry me” beans should never cook less than three hours (and, yes, she has had two marriage proposals … they are THAT good!). Why would anyone want to quick cook a turkey at Thanksgiving and miss out on hours of tantalizing aroma! Biblically, if Noah had not listened to God and used a “shortcut” to build the ark, he may have been patching leaks. If Jesus had taken a shortcut to get to Lazarus before he died, His miracle of raising him from the dead would not have been witnessed. If the disciples, on their walk to Emmaus, took a shortcut, they may have missed walking with Jesus. Contrary to what some think, there are no shortcuts for Christians. Following Christ is not always easy. It’s harder. Our struggles are meant to make us stronger. We live by faith alone. We are not given a special card to carry stating we are on easy street because we are Christians. Christians are continually targeted, pressured and ridiculed for their beliefs. The Christian road is paved (well, it’s not always nicely paved) with roadblocks. Detours. Potholes. All strategically placed by Satan himself to cause stumbling and falls. One can see why it would be easy to take a shortcut. The easy way out. The road widely used by everyone. It can be tempting to follow the crowd. Stay your course. God will let you stumble and struggle, but He will never loosen His grip. Think of times in your life when you really struggled. Did you learn anything from it? Were you stronger after? Wiser? Did it force you to lean on Him more? Of course! God wants to walk WITH you! I can attest (as everyone can) that God will “shake us to wake us” if we get too comfortable on our walk. Jesus was not given the option of a shortcut to the Cross. We should be comforted that in our journey full of detours, He is the one-way street leading to eternal life. No dead-end street. God’s Word in John tells us that Jesus is “The way, truth and the life.” His road may be the long way home but it leads to eternal life. WHY would we want a shortcut? janet